CN115335446A

CN115335446A - Alginate composition for food, method for producing the same and method for producing coated food

Info

Publication number: CN115335446A
Application number: CN202180020594.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 阿都山·皮莱; 约翰内斯·格哈杜斯·玛丽亚·古尔胡斯
Original assignee: Freddy Hirsch Group Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Freddy Hirsch Group Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2020-04-22
Filing date: 2021-02-23
Publication date: 2022-11-11
Also published as: US20230329302A1; BR112022014005A2; GB202005886D0; WO2021214561A1; CA3166985A1; MX2022008250A; EP4139391A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an alginate composition for coating food products, in particular fresh skinless food products such as sausages, and to a process for the production of the alginate composition. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for producing coated food products using the alginate composition of the invention.

Description

Alginate composition for food, method for producing the same and method for producing coated food

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an alginate composition for coating food products, in particular fresh sausages, and to a process for producing the alginate composition. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for producing such coated food products using the alginate composition of the invention.

Background

Existing casings for food products, in particular fresh sausages (i.e. sausages which need to be cooked) are well known in the food industry, ranging from natural casings, usually made from the submucosa of the animal intestine (mainly composed of collagen), to various artificial or synthetic casings. Synthetic or artificial casings may include any one or more of processed collagen, alginate, cellulose or even plastic. Many collagen, cellulose and plastic casings are inedible and need to be peeled from meat products after cooking, resulting in, for example, "skinless" sausages. This is a wasteful activity and is not particularly environmentally friendly. Casings comprising animal collagen may be edible, depending on the source of the raw material, but because they are contained in animal products, there is a risk of developing prion diseases such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Furthermore, casings comprising collagen are not suitable for vegetarian or pure vegetarian products, such as vegetarian or pure vegetarian sausages.

Casings comprising alginate have been developed since at least the 60 s. For the last 20 years, alginate has been used as a film-forming element in co-extrusion coatings, but because the development of these casings suffers from a number of problems, the mainstream use of alginate casings (particularly in the fresh sausage or "hot dog" industry) has yet to be realized.

The optimal casing should preferably be:

it is edible and can be used as food,

suitable for meat, vegetarian, pure vegetarian, kosher and halal products,

has a suitable viscosity to ensure that it can be effectively co-extruded with the sausage filling or batter,

firm enough to ensure that the sausage filling or batter remains together during the cooking phase, until the mesh solidifies into a solid matrix,

acting as a barrier between the sausage product and the cooking liquor, to avoid the sausage filling or batter being washed out, and therefore having a low water permeability,

tightly interacting with the sausage filling or batter product to provide good adhesion to the surface of the filling or batter, preventing the casing from separating from the sausage filling or batter during cooking,

easy to tear or bite, thus retaining the "bite factor" of traditional fresh skinless meat products, and

unobtrusive, thereby providing a direct replacement for traditional fresh skinless meat products.

The viscosity of the enteric coating composition is the most critical element. It is essential that the coating composition has optimal rheology (gel flow properties) so that the food product can be properly coated during coextrusion without the casing slipping off the food product. At the same time, the viscosity of the composition cannot be too high, which might otherwise lead to clogging or sticking within the coating device, and the coating is too dense and/or too hard and difficult to eat. In short, the properties of the coating composition required for optimal coating need to be balanced with the properties of the food product, in particular fresh sausage product, in order to be successfully commercially available in a wide range of applications including boiling, frying or baking. In particular, the viscosity must be balanced against the mechanical strength of the casing, the density and thickness of the casing, the optimal adhesion of the casing to the contained food, the mouth feel and bite of the casing on the food, and the flavor of the coated food.

There are many well known viscosity modifiers for obtaining optimal viscosity, including hydrocolloids, insoluble fibers, liquid smoke and plasticizers. However, these agents are expensive and each of these has an additional effect on the casing material, requiring management of the casing for ultimate commercial success. For example, the use of liquid smoke imparts a taste to the food product that may be undesirable in fresh sausage products and may reduce the mouthfeel of the casing material. Hydrocolloids can cause an undesirable greasy feel to the casing. The composition of the viscosity modifier also often varies slightly from batch to batch, requiring constant fine tuning of the coating material composition to ensure that the target viscosity and performance is achieved. It would be advantageous if a simple coating composition for food products, particularly fresh sausages, could be developed with fewer ingredients (and therefore fewer variables), simulating a skinless sausage (whether filled with meat, fish, vegetarian or pure vegetarian filling), in order to achieve optimal reproducibility and consistency of use, as well as greater cost efficiency.

Early commercial alginate casing compositions comprised water, alginate, one or more acidulants, and starch/cellulose, with a pH of 4 to 4.5. However, since the alginate in these compositions reacts with Ca at this pH ²⁺ The ions react to form a hydrogel and thus the enteric coating on such products is hard and dense.

More recently, WO 2014/007630 discloses changing the pH of an alginate casing by using an acidic buffer solution at a pH of 3 to 6 to improve the adhesion of the alginate composition to food products. The acidic buffer solution is contacted with the alginate composition prior to or during extrusion to avoid ionic strength differences between the food particles and the alginate composition and to increase hydrogen bonding between the alginate composition and proteins present in the food particles. However, such compositions have not been successfully used for fresh sausages of the fine emulsion type, such as fresh sausages, apparently because of insufficient hydrogen bonding to the protein in such emulsions.

It has recently been demonstrated in WO 2017/191312 that a skinless sausage-type sensation can be obtained by adjusting the pH of the alginate gel to 3.3 to 3.9, thereby increasing the viscosity of the gel, and then homogenizing the alginate gel. The pH is critical because if the pH is below this range, it will result in the formation of insoluble crystalline regions in the alginate casing composition, while pH levels above this range will result in complete dissolution of the alginate in water. However, this method increases the complexity of the apparatus required for coextrusion, since the apparatus must comprise: a tank in which a pH optimized gel is first prepared; a homogenizer in series; then a coating device for producing coated sausages. Furthermore, in order to achieve a steady state viscosity of the composition, the alginate gel must most preferably be held for more than 12 hours, which significantly increases the duration of the process. In order to function effectively, the viscosity of the coating composition needs to be 25pa.s to 40pa.s, preferably 28pa.s to 37pa.s, more preferably 30pa.s to 35pa.s at 5 ℃.

It would be useful if a food product with a skinless sausage-type feel could be obtained using a simpler, faster and therefore more cost-effective production method.

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an alginate composition for coating a food product comprising or consisting of as a mixture:

(i) An alginate;

(ii) One or more organic or inorganic food-safe acidulants comprising citric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, acetic acid or ascorbic acid; and

(iii) Water;

wherein the alginate composition has a pH of from about 4.0 to 4.2, preferably from 4.05 to 4.10, and a shear viscosity of from about 25Pa.s to 65Pa.s, more preferably from about 45Pa.s to 65Pa.s, measured at 4 ℃.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the alginate composition comprises or consists of as a composition:

a) An alginate;

b) One or more organic or inorganic food-safe acidulants comprising citric, malic, tartaric, lactic, acetic or ascorbic acid;

c) Water;

d) One or more hydrocolloid galactomannan vegetable gums including guar gum, tara gum, fenugreek gum, locust bean gum or cassia gum (cassia bean gum), more preferably guar gum, tara gum or fenugreek gum, even more preferably guar gum or tara gum, most preferably guar gum; and

e) One or more preservatives, including synthetic or natural preservatives, especially sodium benzoate,

Shear viscosity was measured using a Brookfield R/S plus rheometer with a Brookfield 25mm conical mandrel (model 50.3.250 02C25-1,327) with a plate angle of 1 degree.

In particular, the alginate composition may comprise or consist of:

a) About 4.5% (w/w) to about 7.0% (w/w) sodium alginate, preferably about 5.0% (w/w) to about 6.0% (w/w) sodium alginate;

b) About 0.38% (w/w) to about 0.50% (w/w) acidulant, preferably citric acid;

c) Optionally about 0.25% (w/w) of a hydrocolloid galactomannan vegetable gum, preferably guar gum or tara gum;

d) Optionally about 0.10% (w/w) preservative, preferably sodium benzoate; and

e) And (3) water.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the alginate composition comprises or consists of:

A. from about 5.0% (w/w) to about 6.0% (w/w) sodium alginate;

B. about 0.38% (w/w) to about 0.50% (w/w) citric acid;

C. optionally about 0.25% (w/w) guar gum;

D. optionally about 0.10% (w/w) sodium benzoate; and

E. and (3) water.

Sodium alginate may have 50-66 α -L-guluronic acid ester (G): ratio of 50-34 (1-4) -linked β -D-mannuronate (M), preferably 66 α -L-guluronate (G): 34 (1-4) -ratio of linked β -D-mannouronate (M).

The composition may also optionally include plasticizers, vegetable oils, surfactants, colorants, flavorants, antimicrobials, and other suitable additives known to those skilled in the art, but such compounds and compositions are not necessary for the composition to function.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of preparing an alginate composition of the invention, comprising or consisting of the steps of:

(i) Blending or dissolving an acidulant in water;

(ii) Adding the remaining dry ingredients and blending by a mixer to form a paste; and

(iii) The paste was vacuum blended to remove air.

The mixer may be a high-shear mixer or a low-shear mixer with a mixer motor or simple mixer blades, e.g.

A mixer.

Optionally, the vacuum blending step may be performed simultaneously with the blending.

According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided a process for the production of a coated food product using an alginate composition of the invention, said process comprising or consisting of the steps of:

(i) Coextruding in a coextruder apparatus a food product to be coated and the mixed alginate composition of the invention to form an alginate composition coated food product;

(ii) Applying a setting solution to the coated food product to produce a gelled food product, the setting solution selected from the group consisting of: acidulants including lactic or citric acids; calcium chloride solution or hydrated form thereof, including CaCl ₂ ·2H ₂ O; and a calcium acetate solution; and

(iii) Optionally cutting the gelled food product to a desired size.

The coagulating solution may be about 3.0% to about 40.0%, or about 3.0% to about 30.0%, or about 5.5% to about 20.5% (w/w), or about 15 to about 25% calcium chloride solution, or may be about 20% (w/w) calcium chloride solution. Alternatively, the coagulating solution can be about 3.0 to about 27.0% (w/w) calcium acetate solution.

For a setting solution of about 15 to 25%, preferably 20% calcium chloride in about 20 to 150 Parts Per Minute (PPM) relative to a food product of about 100mm length, the co-extrusion speed is typically about 0.03 to 0.25m/s; whereas for a setting solution of about 15 to 25%, preferably 20% calcium chloride at about 50 to 100PPM relative to a food product of about 100mm length, the co-extrusion speed is typically about 0.08 to 0.17m/s. For a setting solution of about 15 to 25%, preferably 20% calcium chloride at about 20 to 150PPM relative to a food product of about 200mm length, the co-extrusion speed is typically about 0.06 to 0.50m/s.

The gelled food product may have a diameter of from about 10mm to about 32mm, or from about 26mm to about 30mm.

The alginate coating composition may be extruded onto the food product (e.g., through a die) at a thickness of about 150 μm to about 400 μm. For example, where the food product is a rotisserie sausage (braaiwor) or a boolean sausage (boerewor), the alginate coating composition may be extruded onto the rotisserie sausage or boolean sausage at a thickness of from about 200 μm to about 300 μm, or from about 250 μm to about 300 μm.

Freddypro, described in more detail in south Africa patent Nos. 2016/07790 and 2018/01072 (incorporated herein by reference), can be used ^TM Coextrusion was carried out using either a 1.0 or 2.0 apparatus.

If desired, a cooker unit may optionally be included in the process and may include the addition of calcium in the form of a solution of calcium chloride or calcium acetate in the cooker, with or without an acidulant (e.g. citric acid). In addition, an additional calcium-pickling step may be included, if desired. However, neither of these additional devices or steps are necessary for the production of coated food products using the alginate compositions of the invention.

The food product of the invention may be meat, fish, vegetarian or pure vegetarian food. Preferably, the food product is a sausage. More preferably, the sausage is a fresh skinless sausage. The food product may be raw, partially cooked or cooked. Preferably, the food product is a raw food product.

Adding phosphate (including sodium tripolyphosphate (Na)) into food ₅ P ₃ O ₁₀ ) In that case twice the quality of the food product may be added to the food product, typically about 0.3 to 0.6% (w/w) calcium lactate. It will be appreciated that other calcium salts may be used, for example calcium chloride or calcium lactate gluconate, and the phases will beThese calcium salt equivalents were calculated for 0.3 to 0.6% calcium lactate and added accordingly.

Once the coated food product has been prepared, it can be packaged. In some embodiments, similar to the traditional packaging method of roast sausage in south africa or boolean sausages, the coated food product is packaged as a single product, such as a spiral sausage in a package. Alternatively, the package will contain at least two, preferably at least four, more preferably at least six coated food products.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a food product coated with an alginate composition of the invention. In particular, the food product may be meat, fish, vegetarian or pure vegetarian food. Preferably, the food product is a sausage. More preferably, the sausage is a fresh skinless sausage.

Fresh, skinless meat sausages are particularly preferred, intended to mimic the sensory attributes of fresh conventionally prepared sausages such as roast or boolean sausages, pork sausages, lamb sausages, mutton sausages, duck sausages, turkey or chicken sausages, finnish sausages (siskinmakkara) and breakfast sausages or sausages.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a kit for the production of an alginate composition for coating a food product, the kit comprising or consisting of:

A. the following ingredients were used as a dry mixture:

(i) An alginate;

(ii) One or more organic or inorganic food-safe acidulants comprising citric acid, malic acid or malic acid

Tartaric acid, preferably citric acid; and

B. instructions for preparing a coated composition and/or coated food product using the methods described herein with the addition of water.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the kit for producing an alginate composition for coating a food product comprises or consists of:

A. the following ingredients were used as a dry mixture:

(i) An alginate;

Tartaric acid, preferably citric acid;

(iii) One or more hydrocolloid galactomannan vegetable gums including guar gum, tara gum, fenugreek gum, locust bean gum or cassia gum, more preferably guar gum, tara gum or fenugreek gum, even more preferably guar gum or tara gum, most preferably guar gum;

(iv) One or more preservatives, including synthetic or natural preservatives, particularly sodium benzoate; and

B. instructions for preparing a coating composition and/or coated food product using the methods described herein with the addition of water.

In another alternative embodiment, the kit for producing an alginate composition for coating a food product may comprise or consist of:

A. the following ingredients were used as a dry mixture:

(i) An alginate;

(ii) Optionally one or more hydrocolloid galactomannan vegetable gums including guar gum, tara gum, fenugreek gum, locust bean gum or cassia gum, more preferably guar gum, tara gum or fenugreek gum, even more preferably guar gum or tara gum, most preferably guar gum;

(iii) Optionally one or more preservatives, including synthetic or natural preservatives, especially benzyl

Sodium salt; and

B. the following ingredients were used as a wet mixture:

(i) One or more organic or inorganic food-safe acidulants comprising citric, malic or tartaric acid dissolved in water, or a lactic, acetic or ascorbic acid solution mixed with water; and

C. instructions for preparing a coated composition and/or coated food product using the methods described herein.

In particular, the dry mixture may comprise or consist of the following ingredients:

I. from about 4.5% (w/w) to about 7.0% (w/w) sodium alginate, preferably from about 5.0% (w/w) to about 6.0% (w/w) sodium alginate;

from about 0.38% (w/w) to about 0.50% (w/w) acidulant comprising citric, malic or tartaric acid, preferably citric acid;

optionally about 0.25% (w/w) of a hydrocolloid galactomannan plant gum, preferably guar gum or tara gum; and

optionally about 0.10% (w/w) preservative, preferably sodium benzoate.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the dry mixture comprises or consists of the following ingredients:

1) About 5.0% (w/w) to about 6.0% (w/w) sodium alginate;

2) About 0.38% (w/w) to about 0.50% (w/w) citric acid;

3) Optionally about 0.25% (w/w) guar gum; and

4) Optionally about 0.10% (w/w) sodium benzoate.

Detailed Description

The present invention relates to an alginate composition for coating food products, in particular fresh skinless meat, fish, vegetarian or pure vegetarian sausages, and to a method for producing the alginate composition. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for producing coated food products using the alginate composition of the invention.

Alginates are well known in the food industry. They are anionic polysaccharides consisting of two monomers covalently bonded as homopolymer blocks of (1-4) -linked β -D-mannuronate (referred to as M) and its C-5 epimer α -L-guluronate (referred to as G) residues. Blocks may occur in three combinations in the alginate polymer chain; GGGG, MMMM and GMGM. Alginates are used as gelling agents in the food industry because they form cross-links when contacted with polyvalent metal ions. Generally, calcium is the primary choice in the food industry, but barium, aluminum, strontium, magnesium, etc. may also work. In particular, cross-linking occurs in the GGGG region of alginate polymers. Thus, a preferred alginate for use in the present invention has a 66 α -L-guluronic acid ester: 34 β -D-mannuronate, but 50 α -L-guluronate: alginate polymers of 50 beta-D-mannuronate. Furthermore, applicants have determined that about 5-6% (w/w) sodium alginate is optimal for use in the alginate compositions of the invention.

Many hydrocolloid galactomannan vegetable gums are known to those skilled in the art. For example, guar gum, tara gum, fenugreek gum, locust bean gum and cassia gum (the latter two of which are soluble and therefore only work when heated during casing preparation) have been used in the food industry. Fenugreek gum, guar gum and tara gum are cold soluble and have been used as thickeners and stabilizers in food applications. In solutions of the same concentration, tara gum has a lower viscosity than guar gum, but a higher viscosity than locust bean gum solutions.

It is noted that at lower extrusion speeds (e.g. <1.0 m/s), no water colloidal galactomannan vegetable gum needs to be added for an acceptable effective casing to be formed on the food product.

However, guar gum is the preferred galactomannan for use in the present invention, if used. It is more soluble than locust bean gum and is a better stabilizer. It is not self-gelling but may also cross-link with calcium, thereby gelling it. Applicants have found that about 0.25% (w/w) guar gum is optimal for the alginate composition used in the present invention if it is required to be included.

It is also noted that while any synthetic or natural preservative, including sodium benzoate, may be included in the coating composition, such as, for example, where the production environment is sterile and the casing is used for 2 weeks, the use of any preservative may also be excluded.

The viscosity of the alginate composition is important for effective co-extrusion with meat batter. Applicants have found that a shear viscosity of about 25Pa.s to 65Pa.s, a yield stress at 4 ℃ in the range of about 200Pa.s to 650Pa.s and a film thickness strength at 250 μm thickness in the range of about 350 to 700g/cm ² Is most preferred. Using a Brookfield R/S-CPS + rheometer (conical plate)Type) was measured in pa.s, using an external temperature control system, operating at 5 ℃ with a C25-1 mandrel (using a sample volume of 0.08 ml). The system is arranged as follows: CSR set, shear time 120s, but with the selected shear rate parameter the measurement point under the linear point distribution is 60s, start and end values are set to 20s-1, and the number of distributed measurement points is 60. The measurement temperature was set to 4 ℃.

The pH of the alginate composition ranges from about 4 to about 4.2, with a preferred range of about pH 4.05 to 4.10.

The applicant has determined that alginate compositions can be produced simply by: each dry ingredient was blended into water by a mixer to form a paste, and then vacuum blended to remove air, or simultaneously.

Typical high shear mixers that may be used are well known to those skilled in the art and may include an Inxopa high shear mixer ME4105, a Cowles saw blade mixer, a Silverson tandem high shear mixer or a Bowl Chopper mixer (Bowl Chopper mixer).

However, any mixer may be used, including low shear mixers, and even kitchen mixers, for example

And so on.

For example, the vacuum blender may be a Ruhle vacuum drum, a Promarks vacuum drum, a belt vacuum blender, or a Cozzini vacuum blender. Other vacuum blenders known to those skilled in the art may be used, for example

And so on.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of producing a coated food product using an alginate composition. The method first comprises the following standard methods: the food product to be coated with the alginate composition of the invention is co-extruded through a die in a co-extruder apparatus at a line speed of 0.03 to 0.50m/s at an optimum thickness of 250 μm to form an alginate composition coated food product.

For example, extrusion systems or devices that may be used include FreddypPro, described in more detail in south African patent Nos. 2016/07790 and 2018/01072, incorporated herein by reference ^TM Apparatus, and a Lily system and optionally a Vemag and ConPro system.

The food product may be raw, partially cooked or cooked, but is preferably raw.

For example, the food product may comprise meat, such as red meat (e.g. beef, lamb, goat or bison), pork or poultry (e.g. chicken, duck or turkey). It will be appreciated that food products will typically contain additional ingredients such as flavourings (synthetic or natural, e.g. herbs), spices, breadcrumbs, oats and the like.

The food product is preferably a moulded food product in which the ingredients have been processed (e.g. by chopping, chopping or grinding the ingredients). Molded food products include hamburgers, kebabs, and sausages.

Typical examples of fresh skinless sausage products include the following:

(i) About 35% (w/w) mechanically deboned meat;

(ii) About 38% (w/w) pork minor ingredient;

(iii) About 18% (w/w) water;

(iv) About 5% starch;

(v) About 1.8% nitrite curing salt;

(vi) About 0.4% calcium lactate;

(vii) About 0.2% phosphate; and

(viii) About 1.96% flavoring agent.

Typical examples of roasted sausage skinless sausage products include the following:

(i) About 42% (w/w) mechanically deboned meat;

(ii) About 15% (w/w) beef fat

(iii) About 25% (w/w) water;

(iv) About 3% starch;

(v) About 5% soy isolate

(vi) About 0.30% calcium lactate

(vii) About 0.15% phosphate; and

(viii) About 9.55% flavoring agent.

The simple alginate compositions of the invention are produced with good reproducibility and batch-to-batch consistency, and can be used to produce coated fresh skinless sausages with excellent adhesion between the casing and the encapsulated filling, which do not peel or separate when the sausage is cut off and which do not fall off when the consumer cooks or heats the sausage. The product is almost indistinguishable from conventional fresh skinless sausage products and has a similar mouthfeel and "bite" effect after cooking.

The invention will be described by the following examples, which should not be construed as in any way limiting the scope of the invention.

Example 1:

an alginate casing composition was prepared by blending the following dry ingredients with water to 100% (w/w) in a high shear mixer (all ingredients provided as w/w):

6.00% sodium alginate

0.50% citric acid

0.25% guar gum

0.10% of sodium benzoate.

The ingredients were hydrated in about 8 minutes using a 4800rpm bowl chopper with 6 blades.

The paste is then vacuum blended by a vacuum blender (e.g., ruhle vacuum tumbler MKR 220, cozzini vacuum blender, or 3000RPM bowl cutter) to remove air.

Example 2:

an alginate enteric coating composition was prepared by: 0.50% citric acid was blended with water in a high shear mixer, then the dry ingredients were added to reach 100% (w/w) (all ingredients provided as w/w):

6.00% sodium alginate

0.25% guar gum

0.10% of sodium benzoate.

The paste is then vacuum blended by a vacuum blender (e.g., ruhle vacuum roller MKR 220, cozzini vacuum blender, or 3000RPM bowl cutter) to remove air.

Example 3:

preparing a sausage meat emulsion by mixing:

(i) About 35% (w/w) mechanically deboned meat;

(ii) About 38% (w/w) pork minor ingredient;

(iii) About 18% (w/w) water;

(iv) About 5% starch;

(v) About 1.8% nitrite curing salt;

(vi) About 0.4% calcium lactate;

(vii) About 0.2% phosphate; and

(viii) About 1.96% flavoring agent.

Alternatively, for a rotisserie sausage product, a sausage meat emulsion is prepared by mixing:

(i) About 42% (w/w) mechanically deboned meat;

(ii) About 15% (w/w) beef fat

(iii) About 25% (w/w) water;

(iv) About 3% starch;

(v) About 5% soy isolate

(vi) About 0.30% calcium lactate

(vii) About 0.15% phosphate; and

(viii) About 9.55% flavoring agent.

The meat emulsion was then coextruded with the prepared alginate casing composition and a setting solution containing 20% (w/w) calcium chloride was applied to the outer surface for about 1 second using a FreddyPro 1.0 or 2.0 coextrusion apparatus to gel the alginate casing. The coated sausage is then divided into portions and then packaged.

Example 4:

an alginate enteric coating composition was prepared by: 0.50% (w/w) citric acid was blended with water in a mixer under sterile conditions, followed by the addition of sodium alginate to a final amount of 6.00% (w/w).

The meat emulsion is then coextruded under aseptic conditions with the prepared alginate composition paste at an extrusion rate of <1.0m/s and a setting solution containing 20% (w/w) calcium chloride is applied to the outer surface for about 1 second using a freddy pro 1.0 or 2.0 coextrusion device to gel the alginate casing. The coated sausage is then divided into portions and then packaged.

Claims

1. An alginate composition for coating a food product comprising or consisting of as a mixture:

(i) An alginate;

(ii) One or more organic or inorganic food-safe acidulants comprising citric, malic, tartaric, lactic, acetic or ascorbic acid;

(iii) Water;

(iv) Optionally one or more hydrocolloid galactomannan vegetable gums including guar gum, tara gum, fenugreek gum, locust bean gum or cassia gum; and

(v) Optionally one or more synthetic or natural preservatives, including sodium benzoate,

wherein the alginate composition has a pH of from about 4.0 to 4.2, or from 4.05 to 4.10, and a shear viscosity of from about 25Pa.s to 65Pa.s, or from about 45Pa.s to 65Pa.s, measured at 4 ℃.

2. An alginate composition for coating a food product comprising or consisting of, as a mixture:

(i) An alginate;

(iii) Water;

(iv) One or more hydrocolloid galactomannan vegetable gums including guar gum, tara gum, fenugreek gum, locust bean gum or cassia gum; and

(v) One or more synthetic or natural preservatives, including sodium benzoate,

3. The alginate composition according to claim 1 or 2, comprising or consisting of:

a) About 4.5% (w/w) to about 7.0% (w/w) sodium alginate;

b) About 0.38% (w/w) to about 0.50% (w/w) acidulant;

c) Optionally about 0.25% (w/w) of a hydrocolloid galactomannan plant gum;

d) Optionally about 0.10% (w/w) preservative; and

e) And (3) water.

4. The alginate composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising or consisting of:

A. from about 5.0% (w/w) to about 6.0% (w/w) sodium alginate;

B. about 0.38% (w/w) to about 0.50% (w/w) citric acid;

C. optionally about 0.25% (w/w) guar gum;

D. optionally about 0.10% (w/w) sodium benzoate; and

E. and (3) water.

5. A process for preparing an alginate composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising or consisting of the steps of:

(i) Blending or dissolving the acidulant in water;

(ii) Adding the remaining dry ingredients and blending by a high shear or low shear mixer to form a paste; and

(iii) The paste was vacuum blended to remove air.

6. The process of claim 5, wherein the vacuum blending step (iii) is performed simultaneously with the blending step (ii).

7. A process for producing a coated food product using the alginate composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, said process comprising or consisting of the steps of:

(i) Coextruding a food product to be coated and the alginate composition in a coextruder device to form an alginate composition coated food product;

(ii) Applying a setting solution to the coated food product to produce a gelled food product, the setting solution selected from the group consisting of: acidulants, including lactic or citric acids; calcium chloride solution or hydrated form thereof, including CaCl ₂ ·2H ₂ O; and a calcium acetate solution; from about 3.0% to about 40.0%, or from about 3.0% to about 30.0%, or from about 5.5% to about 20.5% (w/w) calcium chloride solution, or from about 3.0 to about 27.0% (w/w) calcium acetate solution; and

(iii) Optionally cutting the gelled food product to a desired size.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the co-extrusion speed is about 0.03 to 0.25m/s for about 20 to 150 Parts Per Minute (PPM) of a coagulation solution of about 15 to 25%, preferably 20% calcium chloride, relative to a food product of about 100mm length; a co-extrusion speed of about 0.08 to 0.17m/s for a setting solution of about 15 to 25%, preferably 20% calcium chloride of about 50 to 100PPM relative to a food product of about 100mm length; for a setting solution of about 15 to 25%, preferably 20% calcium chloride at about 20 to 150PPM relative to a food product of about 200mm length, the co-extrusion speed is about 0.06m/s to 0.50m/s.

9. The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein the gelled food product has a diameter of from about 10mm to about 32mm, or from about 26mm to about 30mm.

10. The method of any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the alginate coating composition is coextruded onto the food product at a thickness of about 150 μ ι η to about 400 μ ι η.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein when the food product is a roast sausage or a Boolean sausage, the alginate coating composition is coextruded on the roast sausage or Boolean sausage at a thickness of about 200 μm to about 300 μm or about 250 μm to about 300 μm.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the food product is meat, fish, vegetarian or pure vegetarian.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the food product is a sausage, including fresh skinless sausages.

14. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 13, wherein the food product is a raw food product, a partially cooked food product or a cooked food product.

15. A food product coated with the alginate composition of any one of claims 1 to 4.

16. The food product of claim 15, said food product being meat, fish, vegetarian or pure vegetarian.

17. The food product of claim 15 or 16, wherein the food product is a sausage comprising a fresh skinless sausage comprising a roast or boolean sausage, a pork sausage, a lamb sausage, a duck sausage, a turkey sausage or a chicken sausage, a finnish sausage, a breakfast sausage or a sausage.

18. A kit for producing an alginate composition for coating a food product comprising or consisting of:

A. the following ingredients were used as a dry mixture:

(i) An alginate;

(ii) One or more organic or inorganic food safety acidulants comprising citric, malic or tartaric acid;

(iii) Optionally one or more hydrocolloid galactomannan vegetable gums including guar gum, tara gum, fenugreek gum, locust bean gum or cassia gum, more preferably guar gum, tara gum or fenugreek gum, even more preferably guar gum or tara gum, most preferably guar gum;

(iv) Optional preservatives, including synthetic or natural preservatives, especially sodium benzoate; and

19. A kit for producing an alginate composition for coating a food product comprising or consisting of:

A. the following ingredients were used as a dry mixture:

(i) An alginate;

(ii) One or more organic or inorganic food-safe acidulants comprising citric, malic or tartaric acid;

(iii) One or more hydrocolloid galactomannan vegetable gums including guar gum, tara gum, fenugreek gum, locust bean gum or cassia gum, more preferably guar gum, tara gum or fenugreek gum,

even more preferably guar gum or tara gum, most preferably guar gum;

(iv) Preservatives, including synthetic or natural preservatives, especially sodium benzoate; and

20. A kit for producing an alginate composition for coating a food product, comprising or consisting of:

A. the following ingredients were used as a dry mixture:

(i) An alginate;

B. the following ingredients were used as a wet mixture:

C. instructions for preparing the coated composition and/or coated food product using the methods described herein.

21. A kit for producing an alginate composition for coating a food product comprising or consisting of:

A. the following ingredients were used as a dry mixture:

(i) An alginate;

(ii) One or more hydrocolloid galactomannan vegetable gums including guar gum, tara gum, fenugreek gum, locust bean gum or cassia gum, more preferably guar gum, tara gum or fenugreek gum,

even more preferably guar gum or tara gum, most preferably guar gum;

(iii) One or more preservatives, including synthetic or natural preservatives, particularly sodium benzoate; and

B. the following ingredients were used as a wet mixture:

22. The kit according to any one of claims 18 to 21, comprising or consisting of, per total volume:

I. from about 4.5% (w/w) to about 7.0% (w/w) sodium alginate;

from about 0.38% (w/w) to about 0.50% (w/w) acidulant;

optionally about 0.25% (w/w) of a hydrocolloid galactomannan plant gum; and

optionally about 0.10% (w/w) preservative.

23. The kit according to any one of claims 18 to 22, comprising or consisting of, per total volume:

1) From about 5.0% (w/w) to about 6.0% (w/w) sodium alginate;

2) About 0.38% (w/w) to about 0.50% (w/w) citric acid;

3) Optionally about 0.25% (w/w) guar gum; and

4) Optionally about 0.10% (w/w) sodium benzoate.